Compare And Contrast Song And Dylan

The defining moments in our lives and in our generations are the moments of true change. It may be for the better or it may be for the worse but either way, someone had the courage to speak up for what they wanted. In the poem ‘Lost Sister’ by Cathy Song, the author explains the hardships of being a Chinese girl and the way the society treated them and their expectations. This poem is much contrasted to the song ‘The Times They Are a-Changin’ written and sung by Bob Dylan. This song describes the foreseen changes in the world and warns those around him to change or get left behind, touching on both conformity and rebellion. Both pieces of text have extremely different cultures and time frames behind them, which makes them excitingly different, yet similar. To rebel is to go against the ‘norm’ or to go against what you are told. Rebellion is often demonstrated in teenagers rebelling against their parents or adults and doing what they want. When it comes to whole societies of people rebelling, it can get a little messy. In the poem Last Song, the author describes the way of life for a traditional Chinese girl, how they are beautiful and elegant yet stripped of their natural rights to travel freely were forced into feet binding. They were forced to have their feet painfully bound by rope to form a more ‘perfect’ woman with small teacup shaped feet. The women did not rebel, they stayed quiet and did what they were told, supporting the family, and silencing their inner thoughts, hatred, and hunger. This poem is so contrasted to Bob Dylan’s song The Times…. Where he urges the people of that time to move ahead and rebel against the old ways or be left behind. This was set in the time of the Civil Rights movements (1960s) and much of the nation was still accepting and practicing old traditional and harsh ways of life. This was a time of rapid change and succession and if you did not break free of the ways of the past then you will be left behind to drown in